American Aquarium’s BJ Barham ‘Rockingham’

Based in Raleigh, NC, American Aquarium have been carving out their niche for over a decade. But it's been over the last three or four years, and in large part thanks to the likes of Turnpike Troubadours, and Jason Boland and the Stragglers, that the guys have become a part of the Red Dirt scene.

Their tour schedule certainly keeps American Aquarium busy, but not busy enough for front man BJ Barham; who annually embarks on a solo tour, and this August will be releasing a solo album, Rockingham, an homage to his home town.

This is the town that I spent the first 18 years of my life in, the town that the last seven generations of my family were born and raised in, the place that serves as the backdrop for the entire record," he says. "This song is about running out of opportunity and coming to terms that you are never leaving the town you were born in. I've always found beauty and inspiration in the bleak and desperate side of the human condition. The thought of staring down the rest of your life and realizing you don't have another move really struck a chord with me.